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Saturday, November 9, 2013

The process of cancer treatment: Part VI - CT Scan

Computerized tomography (CT scan) — also called CT — combines a series of X-ray views taken from many different angles and computer processing to create cross-sectional images of the bones and soft tissues inside your body.Beginning with the original cancer biopsy diagnosis on September 25, we have had three appointments this month: Bone Scan, MRI and this, the CT Scan, to determine how far the cancer cells have spread. This determines the best treatment, based on this data.

Since The Ottawa Hospital includes the Civic, the General and Riverside Campuses, we asked for the earliest appointments for these tests. Go to the website and print yourself off a map. It helps!
The Ottawa Hospital phoned us two days before, as has been the case with previous appointments.
Here is our list of info for the CT Scan:

It's a big hospital, with long halls!

Go to hospital wing C1 - Radiology

Drink 8 glasses of water the day before.

Bring a list of your medications. (We keep this in our agendas.)

The test itself will take 20 minutes. (A one-hour+ drive, for 20 minutes!)

We had the option of an appointment later in the evening at 9 p.m., but anticipating the dark drive home, we took an afternoon spot.

11:30 a.m. Unfortunately, I came down with a moderately bad form of Norovirus. It wasn't as bad as a year ago, but I couldn't eat and spent a lot of time in the bathroom. This precluded my sitting in a waiting room with sick people. Poor hubby took off on his own, whilst I was enthroned in the cozy chair, with cats keeping me warm. He was fine.

Hubby stopped in a town for lunch, on his way to the big city, since he'd left a couple of hours of transit time, which would eat into lunch time. ('Scuse the pun!)

1:00 p.m. He arrived at the Carlingwood Mall, bought himself a scarf, me some truffles, as he was terrible early.

2:00 p.m. Into the waiting room. The TV was too loud. The only spot he could find was directly under said TV! Someone was watching the show, so he did the best he could trying to read his book. The room was full and they were running late. Again, they had to inject a dye. The poor man has small veins and they have trouble finding one. I feel so badly for him.

5:00 p.m. Back in town, a quick dinner, and he came home. Another long day. We crashed before 9:30!

Universal Heatlhcare

"Illness is neither an indulgence for which people have to pay nor an offence for which people should be penalised. but a misfortune. The cost of which should be shared by the commmunity. " ~Aneuryn Bevan. Founder of the NHS

"I felt that no boy should have to depend either for his leg or his life upon the ability of his parents to raise enough money to bring a first-class surgeon to his bedside."

Take care of yourself

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Jennifer Jilks: Senior's Advocate

This site is for information only, and should be used to help you navigate healthcare and finding more health information. The best source of medical information is your family physician or pharmacist.